When No. 21 LSU and No. 6 Texas clash at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, the prime-time matchup marks a 25-year reunion for longtime friends and offensive masterminds Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian, tigerrag.com reported.
Kiffin, 51, and Sarkisian, 52, first crossed paths in 2001 on Pete Carroll’s inaugural coaching staff at USC. Kiffin started as a tight end coach while Sarkisian served as a graduate assistant helping coach quarterbacks, laying the groundwork for two intertwined careers.
“You like, you love competing against your friends, because there’s nothing more gratifying than beating your friends,” Sarkisian said at his Monday press conference, according to tigerrag.com. “I’m sure Lane feels the same way. We were raised kind of the same way in the profession.”
- Two programs clash in Death Valley with postseason implications as No. 21 LSU hosts No. 6 Texas.
- Longtime friendship dates back to Pete Carroll’s 2001 USC staff where both coaches began their trajectories.
Following their initial stint in Los Angeles, their careers diverged temporarily before reuniting under Nick Saban at Alabama for the 2016 season. Kiffin recalled that personal struggles led him to seek sobriety in January 2021, noting that Sarkisian helped him recover.
“A major change in my life was getting sober almost six years ago, and he was a big part of that,” Kiffin said, tigerrag.com reported. “I owe him a lot for that and will always be appreciative for that.”
| Coach | Program | Tenure & Record |
|---|---|---|
| Lane Kiffin | LSU Tigers | 6-3 (Current Season) |
| Steve Sarkisian | Texas Longhorns | 55-22 (Fifth Season) |
| Lane Kiffin | Ole Miss Rebels | 55-19 (Six Years) |
The 6:30 p.m. kickoff brings both coaches to opposite sidelines with College Football Playoff hopes hanging in the balance. Sarkisian noted the unlikelihood of two young coaches from USC ending up at premier programs like Texas and LSU.
“Both of us end up at two premier programs in the country with great players and great support, great fan bases,” Sarkisian said, tigerrag.com reported.
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